


happiness in our history

by annihilated_nights



Category: Newsies (1992), evermore - Taylor Swift (Album)
Genre: Character Death, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28414686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annihilated_nights/pseuds/annihilated_nights
Summary: Each chapter is a oneshot based on a song from the album evermore by Taylor Swift. I'll state what warnings apply in each chapter's notes.
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Kudos: 14





	1. willow

**Author's Note:**

> No warnings for chapter one :)

David didn't always understand Jack, often he didn't make much sense at all, but something held David to him. And maybe it was his witty remarks, or his accent, or the way he seemed to touch David more than anyone else. But really above all of those things- it was the way he cut through. Jack got into David's head like no one ever had, and that killed him; that boy hardly even tried, and David knew it.

The worst part, though, was David didn't want it to stop. He wanted Jack to cause trouble; he wanted Jack to keep him out late- to make every waking moment unpredictable. And he wasn't exactly sure why he relished all of this, why Jack was so intoxicating, but he was.

And it was late when David found himself alone with Jack, sitting on the curb outside the lodgehouse. Jack held a small photograph in his hands; a young-thin woman was grinning with a sennit atop her medium-brown locks. To her side was a tall, burly man with a dark suit and a grim look on his expression. And finally, in the woman's arms was a boy, a beautiful young boy with wide eyes, he couldn't be much older than four in the picture, but as David looked at that same boy now, glazed eyes and broad shoulders, he realized how much time had probably passed for him.

It dawned on David then; he'd follow Jack anywhere. Because he saw Jack- really saw him. And maybe he was a mystery to some extent, but he'd been stripped of the natural childhood innocence; the horrors of the world had been thrust at him before he could even begin to find himself. Jack was still young, and somewhere in him was fear- fear only David had seen. Despite what Jack made everyone else think, he was so entirely fragile. He wasn't emotionless, he wasn't an insensitive thief, and most of all, he wasn't ready to grow up.

After long beats of silence, Jack sighed. "Your family got any pictures, Dave?"

David's eyes focused on Jack's hands, which were trembling ever so slightly. "A few."

Jack nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the photograph still.

David moved closer to Jack, his leg brushing against the latter, "Do you..." he paused, "Do you think we could get one?"  
Jack blinked, confused for a moment, turning to David with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we're family aren't we?" David almost smiled, but he couldn't bring himself to.

Jack grinned, "Yeah." He stood, folding the picture and shoving it in his pocket. "I should get you home."

They both knew David was staying with Jack tonight. He needed it just as much as David did.

Once he stood, David pulled Jack into a hug, letting his chin rest on the latter's shoulder.

Jack froze for a moment, but once he realized what was happening, he wrapped his arms around David's waist, pulling him close and hugging him back. A sigh of relief escaped him after a moment.

"I'm already there, Jack."


	2. champagne problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for chapter two

Jack didn't turn up for dinner that night. It wasn't a surprise, he'd said he would leave, and he did. Sarah knew his spirits had been diminished, she knew he was going to Santa Fe now because he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't stay with the knife Sarah had stabbed him with.

It was the few hours prior that killed him inside. The image of Jack's clouded irises, how alone he looked and must have felt. 

"Sarah..." Jack had said, reaching into his pocket as he spoke.

No. Sarah dreaded this moment, she didn't want it to happen, and she refused to let it.

"Jack-" She already felt the lump in her throat at his name.

"I... I want to marry you, Sarah," Jack's hand still rested in his pocket, his head cocked slightly, and his dark brows pushed together, puzzled at Sarah's reaction.

"No, you don't." Sarah crossed her arms tightly as she bit her bottom lip. Nothing had ever been this difficult. It had never been harder to say no to a simple question. "Jack, you don't want to marry me."

"Yes, Sarah, I do."

Tears began to pour from her eyes now, "I know you told the other boys. I know, I saw it coming- Why would you buy only one ticket if you thought I was going to say yes?"

Jack's expression dropped completely now. He didn't respond at that. 

Jack was a confused young man, and he'd been confused for a long time. Sarah couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. A truth that came in who he decided to look at, who clouded his thoughts, who impacted his emotions the most- A bittersweet truth he hadn't figured out yet; he loved her brother.

If Sarah had the wealth to her name, this would have mattered to the entitled skeptics with a notably expensive title; But it didn't. None of this mattered to them, despite the written fact that Jack led to their financial demise three years prior. Nothing changed the fact that rejected proposals among the working class were insignificant filth in their peering eyes. 

And Sarah couldn't help but wonder what the boys would think. They'd all grown close the past few years. Something told Sarah things would begin to contrast after today.

It only hit her now, as Jack was standing there, ring in his pocket, that she honestly couldn't see herself with him. And she could practically hear her older peers demanding her idiocy, insisting she made a mistake. But she knew for sure a one-way-love had to be a bigger mistake than any refusal. 

But someday, Jack would know. Some day he'd come rushing back home to tell David he loved him- hold him close and finally be apart of the love he'd always meant to be. And Sarah knew when Jack mustered the damn courage to ask him that question- he'd say yes.

Jack would be so in love that he'd forget. He'd forget the confusion, the problems, the false emotion Sarah had sustained all this time. Because for once in his life, it would be real.


	3. gold rush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter :)

“C’mon Dave, what’s wrong?” Jack’s brows were furrowed as he followed David up the stairs to the rooftop.

“Nothing is wrong,” David sighed, though his voice clearly stated the opposite.

“David, just tell me, what is it?”

David simply ignored him this time, making it to the rooftop and secretly hoping the slight change in scenery would make Jack forget about it.

“Dave-” Jack reached out to touch David’s shoulder, but before he could, David spun around to face him, his eyes ever so slightly glassy as he took in shaky breaths.

“It’s you,” he said, his voice near cracking.

“What?” Jack’s brows furrowed further.

“I look at you, and… and I know you’re all I could ever want. And I watch you walk down the street and everyone looks at you, Sarah looks at you, even some guys look at you. I just wonder when you’ll notice the fact that I look at you too…” David almost couldn’t bring himself to say it, and a feeling of regret began to grow in his chest once the words were out.

Jack couldn’t go anywhere without someone looking at him, and he liked it, it was obvious. David wanted to die everytime he flirted with a girl or teased anyone that wasn’t him. He knew he couldn’t have it and that killed him.

“Davey…” Jack breathed, soft and almost worried.

“Don’t say it… I know. It’s wrong and I shouldn’t feel this way about you, let alone be jealous over nothing, but it isn’t nothing to me… it can’t be nothing, not with you.”

Jack fell silent, watching David break in front of him. He looked painfully worried now, not mad or confused like David expected him to look, and honestly, he wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. 

“It’s not that… It’s just— I look at you too.”

David smiled softly, suddenly, those words were all he needed to hear.


End file.
